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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. R. R. PATOHEL.

TRIPOD STAND FOR CAMERAS, &c. No. 606,022. Patented June 21,1898.

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(No Model,)' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. R. R. PATGHEL.

I TRIPOD STAND FOR CAMERAS, &0.

No; 606,022. Patented June 21, 1898.

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ROBERT R. PATCHEL, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO CHARLES S. NEWQOMB, SAME PLACE.

TRIPOD-STAND FOR CAMERAS, ac.

SBECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,022, dated June 21, 1898.

Application filed November 26,1897. Serial N0.'659,748. lNo model.) I i T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. PATCHEL, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tripod- Stands for Cameras and other Articles, of which the following,.,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to tripod-stands for cameras and otherarticles; and it consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be readily understood by reference to the description of the accompanying drawings and to the claims hereto appended, and in which my invention is clearly pointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is an elevation of a tripod-stand illustrating my invention in position for use, but not extended to its full height. Fig. 2 represents the same when foldedfor transportation, drawn to a somewhat larger scale. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the head of the tripod, drawn full size. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the head on line w x of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the upper disk ofthe head. Fig. 6 is a plan of the clamping-plate. Fig. 7 is a cen tral longitudinal section through the lower or folding joint of one of the legs.

7 inside elevation of a portion of the upper end of the lower section of one ofthe legs. Fig.

9 is an elevation of the outer face of the lower portion of the middle section of the leg detached from the lower section. Fig. 10 is a central longitudinal section through the coupling-joint connecting the upper and middle sections of one of the tripod-legs. Fig. 11 is an inside elevation of a portion of the upper end of the middle section of one of the legs, and Fig. 12 is a transverse section on line 3 3 on Fig. 10.

In the drawings, A is a circular disk-like table,made preferably of wood,havin g formed in its under side thethree hemispherical sockets a to receive the spherical heads 7), provided with the shanks I), set in the upper ends of the upper sections dot the legs B.

O is a clamping-plate having openings (1,

Fig. 8 is an the edges of which bear upon the heads I) below their greatest diameters, as shown in Figs. Sand 4.

The disk or table A has set in a central opening therein the flanged tube D, secured against turning therein by one or more screws e'and projecting below the under surface of said table and havinga male screw-thread on its lower portion to receive the clamping-nut E, which bears upon the under side of the plate 0 to press it upward to clamp it against theheads bwith suflicient force to hold said heads in their sockets andat the same time permit free movement of said heads in said sockets. i I

The plate 0 is provided with the central opening f for the passage of the tube D and with the slots d extend from its periphery to the openings d for the passage of the shanks b of the spherical heads I) when placing said plate in position. a

The under face of the table A has formed therein the semicircular radial grooves to, extending from the sockets a outward to facilitate the insertion and removal of the heads I) with less downward movement of the plate C than would otherwise be necessary.

To secure the camera or other article to the table A, a screw g is insertedin the tube D and screwed upward into the base of the camera or other article.

To obviate the danger of the screw 9 being lost or mislaid when the camera is removed and avoid the necessity of having said screw attached to the tripod by a chain and dangling therefrom,'I reduce the diameter of the shank of said screw g near its milled head g, so as to form a shoulder g and fitloosely upon said reduced-portion of said shank the collar h, which is driven-tightly into the lower end of the tube D, which is counterbored to receive it, so that when said screw g is unscrewed from the camera or other article the shoulder will rest upon the collar h, as shown in Fig. 4, and said screw gcannot be withdrawn except by applying force to drive out the collar h from its seat in thetube D.

Each of the legs B of the tripod is composed of three parts or sections 0, c, and c jointed together so as .to be folded together into a comparatively compact package, as shown in Fig. 2.

The upper section a of the leg B has fitted to its .upper end the ferrule '11 and has fitted to a socket therein the shank I) of the spherical head Z), said shank being secured therein by the serewj, extending transversely through i recess in its inner face the plate Z by means of the screw Z at one end thereof, the opposite end of which plate is free to be moved to a limited extent toward the section a, and in a still deeper recess in said section 0' is fitted the threaded nut-plate m, in which is fitted so as to be screwed in or out to a limited extent the set-screw n, which has its inner end slightly headed or enlarged to prevent its being screwed out of said nut, its sole office being to press the plate Z against the section 0 and thereby force the section 0 hard against the outer portion of the loop to create suffieient friction thereon to prevent said sections 0 and c slipping upon each other when adjusted to the desired relative positions. The lower end of the section a has secured to its outer face a thin metal plate F, provided with an open slot o-in each end and the long slot 0' in the center of its length, and beneath said plate the wood of the section a has formed therein the recesses 19, p, and 19 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The upper portion of the section a of the leg B has secured thereto the thin metal plate G, in which and the wood of said section is set the screw q, the shank of which between its head and the plate G engages one or the other of the slots 0 in the plate F, according as to whether said section 0 is extended or folded upon the section 0, its position when said section is extended being shown in Fig. 7, with its head engaging the under side of the plate F. A clamping-bolt 7', provided with the head r, is set in the slot 0 of the plate F, with its head in the recess 19 and engaging the inner side of said plate, and projects through the hole 8 in the plate G and section 0 and has fitted to its outer end the thumb-nut 25, by which said sections are firmly clamped together when extended or folded upon each other.

The lower ends of the sections c of the legs B have fitted thereon the ferrules a and have inserted therein the metal spurs 'u in a wellknown manner. To the outersur'face of one of the leg-sections c? are secured the two ends of a handle H, preferably of leather, one end tion 0'. endwise away from said table A until the of which is slotted at '0, so as to be movable upon the shank of the screw-stud w to permit it to lie fiat upon the section 0 when desired or to bulge out to enable a party to i11- sert his fingers between said handle and the section 0 the opposite end of said handle being firmly secured in a fixed position to said section and to the strap 1, which encircles the folded leg-sections and clamps them firm] y together.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The several parts of the tripod being constructed as herein described and opened out, as shown in Fig. 1, the camera or other article to be used thereon is secured to the table A by the screw g, which is screwed into the base of said camera or other article by means of its milled head g, when the table A and the article secured thereon may be adjusted to a higher or lower level, if desired, by slackening the set-screws n and movingthe legsections 0 up or down upon the leg-section c and then tightening said set-screw to clamp said sections together in said adjusted positions. By virtue of the ball-and-soeket connections of the legs B to the table A said table may be adjusted to a level or to any desired angle to a horizontal plane in any direction without changing the points of contact of the legs with the ground or floor or changing their lengths by simply moving the upper ends of said legs to change their angles relative to a perpendicular line,which is a great advantage in that the tripod with a camera can be used upon an inclined floor or uneven ground without varying the lengths of the legs. \Vhen not required for use, the camera or other article is removed from the table by unscrewing the screw g, and the several legs of the tripod are folded into the positions shown in Fig. 2, and the strap I is buckled around them with the handle II in a convenient position to be grasped by the operator. When the tripod has its legs extended, as shown in Fig. 1, the shanks of the screw-studs q engage the slots 0 in the lower ends of the plates F, and the thumb-nuts t are screwed down tight upon washers between them and the leg-sections c to clamp them firmly to the sections 0'.

When it is desired to fold the tripod into a compact package, the thumb-nuts i are slackened, the leg-sections c are moved endwise to withdraw the screw-studs g from the slots 0 in the lower ends of the plates F, and the I leg-sections c are moved about the bolts 1' into a position at right angles, or nearly so, to the sections 0, when the bolts 0" are moved to the upperends of the slots 0, when the movements of the leg-sections-c about said bolts 1' in the same direction are continued until said sections a rest upon the sections c,with

'their spurred ends toward the table A, the

screw-studs q having entered the transverse portlons of the recesses 19 formed in the sec The leg-sectlons c are then moved shanks of the screw-studs q come in contact with the bottoms of the slots 0 in the upper ends of the plates F, and then the thumbnuts t are screwed down to clamp said legsections c to the sections 0. The set-screws n are slackened, and the leg-sections c are moved endwise upon the sections 0 toward the table A until the loop-straps is, attached to the upper ends of the leg-sections c, reach points at or near the lower edges of the ferrules i on the upper end of the leg-sections 0, when the set-screws n are operated to clamp said leg-sections c and c firmly together in said adjusted positions.

It should be understood that the legs B are folded and adjusted one at a time, and when so folded or shortened the leg B to which the handle 11 is attached is rotated about the axis of the shank b of the head I) set therein one-half of a revolution, and the other two legs are in like manner rotated about onethird of a revolution in opposite directions into positions upon opposite sides of and in close proximity to the folded leg to which said handle is secured, and the strap I is then buckled around the three folded legs, as shown in Fig. 2.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a tripod-stand for cameras or other articles the combination of a table for supporting said camera or other article having a plurality of hemispherical sockets in its under side; a plurality of legs provided at their upper ends with spherical or ball-like heads fitted to said sockets; a clamping-plate constructed and arranged to bear upon all of said spherical heads below their centers; and a clamping screw and nut constructed and arranged to act upon the center of said plate and equidistant from all of said heads to clamp said plate thereto.

2. The combination in a tripod of the table A having the hemispherical sockets a a in its under-side the legs B provided with the spherical heads I) and the shanks Z); the tubular screw D set in a fixed position in said table; the plate 0 provided with the openings d cl to receive the heads I) and shanks b; the

nut E fitted to said screw D and bearing upon the plate 0; the screw g provided with the milled head g and the shoulder g and the sections 0 and c; the loop-strap 70 secured to the section 0 and extending around the section 0; the loop-strap 70' secured to the section 0 and extending around the section 0; the nut m set in a recess in the section a; the setscrew it working in said nut the plate Z interposed between the inner end of said set-screw and the section 0 and secured at one end to the section 0' substantially as described.

4. The combination in a tripod of the legsection 0 provided in its outer face, at its lower end,with the recesses 13, p, and p and having secured thereto and partially covering said recesses the metal plate F provided with the slots 0, 0,and 0; the leg-section c having the metal plate G, provided with the hole 8, secured to its inner faceat its upper end; the headed stud q set in said section 0 through said plate G and arranged to alternately entwo subscribing witnesses, on this 23d day of November, A. D. 1897.

I ROBERT E. PATOHEL.

Witnesses:

N. C. LOMBARD, (J. B. CHOATE. 

